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People using aged care

The aged care system offers a continuum of care under 3 main types of service:

  • Commonwealth Home Support Programme (home support) provides entry-level services focused on supporting individuals to undertake tasks of daily living to enable them to be more independent at home and in the community.
  • Home Care Packages Program (home care) is a more structured, comprehensive package of home-based support, provided over 4 levels.
  • Residential aged care (residential care) provides support and accommodation for people who have been assessed as needing higher levels of care than can be provided in the home, and the option for 24-hour nursing care – residential care is provided on either a permanent, or a temporary (respite) basis.

There are also several types of flexible care, and services for specific population groups available that extend across the spectrum from home support to residential care, including:

  • Transition Care Programme (transition care) provides short-term care to restore independent living after a hospital stay.
  • Short-Term Restorative Care Programme (short-term restorative care) expands on transition care to include anyone whose capacity to live independently is at risk.
  • Multi-Purpose Services Program offers aged care alongside health services in Regional and remote areas.
  • Innovative Care Programme includes a range of programs to support flexible ways of providing care to target population groups.
  • National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program provides culturally appropriate aged care at home and in the community for First Nations people.
  • Department of Veterans’ Affairs community nursing and Veterans’ Home Care services provide support to help eligible veterans stay independent and in their own home.

For more information on aged care services in Australia see the Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act, or visit the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

Overview

The map below shows where people use aged care services on 30 June 2024 (or during the 2023–24 financial year for home support). The map is divided into 73 Aged Care Planning Regions (ACPRs). The Australian Government uses ACPRs to plan the distribution and types of aged care services to be made available across Australia. You can learn more about ACPRs on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

Overall:

  • In 2023–24, about 835,000 people were assisted under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (home support).
  • Additionally, on 30 June 2024, 275,000 people were using home care, 198,000 people were using permanent or respite residential care, and 4,900 people were using transition care or short-term restorative care.

 

Figure 1: Overview of people using aged care in Australia by care type, 30 June 2024

Map shows number of people using aged care (home support, home care, residential care, transition care and short-term restorative care) in Australia by Aged Care Planning Regions at 30 June 2024.

Aged care use by sex

Men and women differ in their patterns of aged care use. This is partly driven by the fact that women’s life expectancy exceeds men’s, so there are more women at older ages needing care than men.

At 30 June 2024 (or during the 2023–24 financial year for home support):

  • around 2 in 3 people using aged care services were women
  • the aged care services with the greatest proportion of women were home care and permanent residential care (both 66% women and 34% men)
  • the smallest differences in aged care service usage between men and women were in respite residential care (60% women and 40% men) and transition care (59% women and 41% men).

 

Figure 2: People using aged care by care type and sex, 30 June 2024

Bar chart shows number of people using aged care (home support, home care, permanent and respite residential care, transition care and short-term restorative care) by sex at 30 June 2024.

Aged care use by age

A person’s access to government-subsidised aged care is determined by their assessed need, not their age. Although the majority of people using aged care services are aged 65 and over, younger people also access these services, largely due to challenges associated with accessing age-appropriate accommodation and supports in the community. The Australian Government has committed to no people under the age of 65 living in residential aged care by 2025, except in exceptional circumstances. For more information on younger people in residential care, see Younger people in residential aged care dashboard.

At 30 June 2024 (or during the 2023–24 financial year for home support):

  • the proportion of people using aged care who were aged under 65 was slightly higher for home support (1.7% or 14,400) compared with home care (1.2% or 3,200) and permanent residential care (0.8% or 1,500)
  • people living in permanent residential care were older (59% of care recipients were aged 85 and over), while people accessing home support and home care were younger (29% and 41% were aged 85 and over, respectively).

 

Figure 3: People using aged care by care type and age group, 30 June 2024

Bar chart shows number of people using aged care (home support, home care, permanent and respite residential care, transition care and short-term restorative care) by age group at 30 June 2024.

Aged care use by sex and age

The age profiles of men and women using aged care differ. Women make up a larger proportion of the oldest people using aged care, in part because women’s life expectancy exceeds men’s. This results in more women at older ages needing care. Conversely, men make up a larger proportion of the younger people using aged care.

At 30 June 2024 (or during the 2023–24 financial year for home support):

  • the age profiles of men and women using home support or home care were similar – 3 in 10 men (30%) and women (29%) using home support were aged 85 and over, while 4 in 10 men (40%) and women (41%) using home care were aged 85 and over
  • almost 2 in 3 (64%) women living in permanent residential care were aged 85 and over, compared with around half (49%) of men
  • there were more men than women in residential care in younger age groups (54% of people aged under 65 in permanent residential care were men) despite more women using aged care overall – 1.2% of men living in permanent residential care were aged under 65, compared with 0.6% of women.

 

Figure 4: People using aged care by care type, sex and age group, 30 June 2024

Butterfly chart shows proportion of aged care use (home support, home care, residential care, transition care and short-term restorative care) by sex and age group at 30 June 2024.

Aged care use for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people face multiple health and social disadvantages. Consequently, they are more likely to develop serious medical conditions earlier in life and have a lower life expectancy than their non-Indigenous counterparts. In recognition of poorer health among First Nations communities, aged care services are offered to First Nations people from age 50. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census, of the 812,000 people who identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin, 18% were aged 50 and over (ABS 2021). First Nations people accounted for 1.7% of the 9.0 million Australians aged 50 and over (ABS 2021).

In practice, First Nations people may face barriers to accessing and using aged care for complex, inter-related reasons, including remoteness, language barriers, and the effects of racism and continued socioeconomic disadvantage. Delivering culturally appropriate aged care can improve access to, and the quality of, aged care for First Nations people. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care (NATSIFAC) Program provides culturally appropriate care for First Nations people in certain locations, mostly in rural and remote areas, that are close to their communities.

For more information on First Nations people using aged care, see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people using aged care dashboard, or visit the First Nations people topic page on the AIHW website.

At 30 June 2024 (or during the 2023–24 financial year for home support):

  • First Nations people represented 2.7% of people using the mainstream aged care (home support, home care, residential care, transition care and short-term restorative care)
  • 38% of First Nations people using home support were aged under 65; this proportion was 27% for home care and 11% for permanent residential care.

 

Figure 5: People using aged care by care type, Indigenous status and age group, 30 June 2024

Butterfly chart shows proportion of aged care use (home support, home care, residential care, transition care and short-term restorative care) by Indigenous status and age group at 30 June 2024.

Aged care use for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

Many older Australians were born overseas, speak a variety of languages, may not speak English fluently or have defining religious or cultural practices. These groups of people can be referred to as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD). The situations and needs of CALD Australians vary due to their diverse backgrounds. CALD Australians can face barriers in accessing and engaging with aged care and the support they require.

This section focuses on country of birth and preferred language as measures of people’s cultural and linguistic diversity. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census, of the 4.4 million older Australians (people aged 65 and over), 35% were born overseas and 16% spoke languages other than English at home (ABS 2021).

At 30 June 2024 (or during the 2023–24 financial year for home support):

  • across mainstream aged care (home support, home care, residential care, transition care and short-term restorative care), most people were born in Australia or other mainly English-speaking countries – the care types with the higher proportion of people born in non-English-speaking countries were home care (31%), short-term restorative care (29%) and respite residential care (24%)
  • people using the mainstream aged care also spoke a range of languages – home care had the largest proportion of people with a preferred language other than English (18%), followed by respite residential care (12%) and short-term restorative care (11%).

 

Figure 6: People using aged care by care type, country of birth/preferred language, 30 June 2024

Bar charts show proportion of aged care use (home support, home care, residential care, transition care and short-term restorative care) by country of birth and preferred language at 30 June 2024.

Aged care use by states and territories

The proportion of older Australians (people aged 65 and over) using aged care varies across states and territories.

In this section, states and territories for home support are based on recipient's usual residence, and states and territories for other care types are based on physical location of the service, facility or outlet. For home care, as a service can deliver care some distance away from its physical location, the state or territory of the service can be different to the state or territory where care is received.

At 30 June 2024 (or during the 2023–24 financial year for home support):

  • people living in Tasmania had the highest rate of home support use among older people (205 per 1,000 population aged 65 and over), while people living in Western Australia had the lowest (145 per 1,000)
  • home care usage among older people was highest for home care services in South Australia (64 per 1,000) and lowest in Australian Capital Territory (37 per 1,000)
  • South Australia had the highest per capita usage among older people for permanent residential care (44 per 1,000), while Northern Territory had the lowest (21 per 1,000). Note: in Northern Territory, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care (NATSIFAC) Program is a prominent part of aged care service provision.

 

Figure 7: Rate of older Australians using aged care, by care type and states and territories, 30 June 2024

Bar chart shows rate of aged care use (home support, home care, residential care, transition care and short-term restorative care) in Australians aged 65+, by states and territories at 30 June 2024.

Aged care use by remoteness areas

In general, the proportion of older Australians using aged care varies across remoteness regions and depends on the types of aged care services available.

Most older people live in metropolitan areas. At 30 June 2024, 66% of the older Australians (aged 65 and over) lived in Metropolitan areas (MM 1), 9.5% lived in Regional centres (MM 2), 23% lived in Rural towns (MM 3–5) and only 1.5% lived in Remote or Very remote communities (MM 6–7).

Most aged care services are located in metropolitan areas. It means that people living in remote areas may need to move to less remote areas to access higher-level aged care services. For more information on the distribution of aged care services, see Providers, services and places in aged care.

In this section, remoteness areas for home support are based on recipient's usual residence, and remoteness areas for other care types are based on physical location of the service, facility or outlet, so people using home care may live some distance away from the physical location of the service.

Additional care types, such as Multi-Purpose Services (MPS) Program and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care (NATSIFAC) Program, cater to specific population groups, often in rural and remote areas. For more information on these flexible care programs, view Multi-Purpose Services Program Residential Care fact sheet and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people using aged care dashboard.

At 30 June 2024 (or during the 2023–24 financial year for home support):

  • usage of home support per capita among older people was highest in Regional centres (MM 2) and Remote communities (MM 6) at 200 per 1,000 population aged 65 and over, and lowest in Metropolitan areas (MM 1; 165 per 1,000)
  • home care usage per capita among older people was highest for home care services in Large rural towns (MM 3; 79 per 1,000) and lowest in Small rural towns (MM 5; 18 per 1,000)
  • usage of permanent residential care per capita among older people was highest for services in Metropolitan areas (MM 1), Large rural towns (MM 3) and Medium rural towns (MM 4) at 44 per 1,000, and lowest in Very remote communities (MM 7; 7.5 per 1,000).

 

Figure 8: Rate of older Australians using aged care, by care type and remoteness areas, 30 June 2024

Bar chart shows rate of aged care use (home support, home care, residential care, transition care and short-term restorative care) in Australians aged 65 and over by remoteness areas at 30 June 2024.

The Modified Monash Model (MMM) is one of several classifications for defining whether a location is a city, rural, remote or very remote. The model measures remoteness and population size on a scale of Modified Monash (MM) category MM 1 to MM 7. MM 1 is a metropolitan area, including Australia’s major cities, and MM 7 is a very remote community, such as Longreach. You can learn more about MMM on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

Aged care use over time

A number of aged care reforms and changes were implemented between 2015 and 2017. This includes introduction of the Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme, rollout and expansion of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), and changes to the Home Care Packages (HCP) Program.

To improve comparability, we only report trend data between 30 June 2017 and 2024 (or between 2016–17 and 2023–24 for home support).

The population of older Australians (people aged 65 and over) grew by 23% between 2017 and 2024, while the total population (all ages) grew by 12%. With an increasingly ageing population in Australia, more people are using aged care services.

Between 2016–17 and 2023–24:

  • the number of people using home support increased by 16% (from 723,000 to 835,000) – the number for males increased more sharply than females (a 21% increase compared with a 12% increase)
  • after accounting for the growth in older population, the rate of people using home support for people aged 65 and over decreased by 4.2% (from 185 per 1,000 to 175 per 1,000).

Between 30 June 2017 and 2024:

  • the number of people using home care increased from 71,900 to 275,000 (a 283% increase) and the per capita usage for people aged 65 and over more than tripled (from 18 to 58 per 1,000)
  • the number of people using permanent residential care increased by 6.3% over the same period (from 179,000 to 190,000), while the per capita usage for people aged 65 and over decreased by 11% (from 46 per 1,000 to 40 per 1,000).

 

Figure 9: People using aged care by care type and sex, between 30 June 2017 and 2024

Line chart shows number and rate of aged care use (home support, home care, residential care, transition care and short-term restorative care) by sex between 30 June 2017 and 2024.

COVID-19 and people using aged care

COVID-19 continues to impact people using aged care.

People in residential care were acutely impacted by COVID-19 because the close proximity of residents increased the risk of virus transmission. Older people also had an increased risk of death if they contracted COVID-19.
Three-quarters (75%) of all COVID-related deaths in the first year (to 5 March 2021) of the COVID-19 pandemic were among people living in residential care.

In residential care, there was a total of 119,652 resident cases, 53,282 staff cases and 2,134 resident deaths. These case numbers are an increase on the previous financial year – except for the total number of COVID-19 related deaths – which saw a decrease. For the period of 1 January 2024 to 27 June 2024, COVID-19 is recorded as the cause of death in 2.2% of all deaths in permanent residents in aged care homes.

For further information on the impact of COVID-19 on people in residential care, see the Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act and the COVID-19 outbreaks in Australian residential aged care facilities weekly report.

 

Reference

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2021), Snapshot of Australia, ABS, Australian Government, accessed 4 March 2025.

 

Where can I find out more?

Related information can be found on other GEN topic pages:

For a confidentialised unit record file (CURF) on this topic, view the GEN data: People using aged care.

For data on people using aged care by geographic region, including data on people using home support and home care by recipient location, view the GEN data: People using aged care by region data tables.

For information on people using aged care by Aged Care Planning Region (ACPR) or Primary Health Network (PHN), view the My aged care region dashboard.